Woodrows Glen Spey 13yo cask #806892 & Woodrows Mannochmore 13yo

Woodrows Glen Spey 13yo cask #806892

Region: Speyside

ABV: 59.2%

Price: £70.00

Distilled 28th of November 2008 this release was matured in a refill hogshead until bottling 24th April 2022. 236 bottles were released.

Nose

We’re met with cream soda, appetiser, creamed corn, poached pears in white wine and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Going back and we’re finding runny honey, candied ginger, light toffee and orange marmalade at the end of the nose. There’s noticeable alcohol on the nose, but lots of freshness that combats it well. It feels like quite an active refill cask. Time and air brings out some light leather notes that compliment the fruity, sweet aromas nicely.

Palate

The palate begins with citrus, flamed orange peel, moving quickly to a woodier flavour, along with hazelnut and chocolate spread. The chocolate continues alongside caramel, oatcakes and some crisp green apple and ginger juice appearing as we go back for another sip. The mouthfeel is nice, there’s some body here, and the finish lasts for a decent while, moving more into the drier wood and toasted cereal flavours. It’s warming on the palate, but that’s to be expected at this ABV.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings out malt vinegar, half and half bread, caster sugar and a little bit of butter too. Some of those fresher, crisper notes seem to have faded into the background which is a shame, but the alcohol has also mellowed which helps balance the dram out. There seems to be an oiliness that’s appeared which wasn’t there previously.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate begins in much the same way as the unreduced palate, but quickly moved into pencil shavings, stripped oak and rolled oats. Again, we feel like the fresher, sweeter flavours have been overshadowed by oakier flavours. We’d avoid adding water, it really doesn’t do the dram justice.

Conclusion

A creamy, fresh and sweet expression of a distillery we tend to overlook. The refill cask has imparted a lot of flavour here, we’d have gone with second fill if this was tasted blind. There’s still a good amount of spirit character, although we find the finish a little too astringent for our palates. Still, it’s a really great example of Glen Spey.

Score: 7/10

Value

We found this between £65 - £75. So if you’re interested it’s definitely worth shopping around.

Woodrows Mannochmore 13yo

Region: Speyside

ABV: 55.0%

Price: £80.00

Distilled 11th of February 2009 this release was matured in a refill hogshead until bottling 7th October 2022. 247 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with fresh meadowsweet, it’s incredibly floral. We’re also finding slivered almonds, apple and pear boiled sweets, vanilla custard filled doughnuts and lemon/lime squash. It’s such a light and vibrant nose, with really well balanced alcohol. Going back, we’re getting some fudge, light aniseed and barley sweetness. It’s really pleasant to sit with.

Palate

The palate brings forward a big hit of lemonade upfront, moving into honey, more boiled sweeties and candy necklaces. It’s sweet without being sickly sweet, with a nice balance of acid to keep the dram in check. The mouthfeel is good, although the finish feels a touch shorter than we’d like, with toffee, vanilla cream and cloves. There’s a light peppery spice that lingers on the tongue too.

Nose (with water)

Reduction brings out lemon scented buttercream frosting, fresh grass, Werthers originals and a little bit of wood spice. It’s lost a bit of its upfront floral aromas, these having been replaced with butterier, oilier aromas. It’s still a really pleasant nose with no noticeable alcohol burn.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate follows in the footsteps of the reduced nose, with butterscotch, chocolate coated almonds, fudge cake and toffee coated granny smith apples. The mouthfeel is slightly worse off, however not by much. There’s some aniseed coming through, alongside malt loaf and a drizzle of cointreau. It’s one of those drams that takes water well, and is up to the drinkers preference.

Conclusion

What a nose… we could sit just nosing this for hours. Lovely floral and fruity aromas dancing around in the glass. The palate follows through with the sweet and sour notes in good balance, although we found the finish to be a bit short. The cask has definitely imparted a lot of flavour and aroma here. Avoid adding water if you prefer the more citrus/floral/fruity aromas and flavours. We’ll go with 7.5/10.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

Again, shop around as prices vary. A little pricey for a Mannochmore in a refill cask, but not crazily priced.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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